Killer said 'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...' 53 times
The final words of condemned prisoners in Ohio could be shortened under new state prison rules.
The move comes after an inmate took 17 minutes to make his final statement before he was executed.
Michael Beuke, a hitchhiker who killed a motorist and then shot two others, spent his final moments reciting the rosary, apologising and saying prayers.
While holding rosary beads, he went through the five Glorious Mysteries of the Roman Catholic church, the Apostles' Creed, several accompanying prayers and repeated 'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...' 53 times.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has said it did not have a problem with the subject matter or length of Beuke's comments, but decided to revisit the rules because of the potential for future problems.
The new rules state: 'The warden may impose reasonable restrictions on the content and length of the statement.
'The warden may also terminate a statement that he or she believes is intentionally offensive to the witness.'
Spokesman Julie Walburn added: 'It's not our intention to use this restriction without regard to the impact.
'It will certainly be something we use carefully. We've never used it yet, and if we do, it's something we would do carefully and in a thoughtful manner.'
Ohio state allowed for unlimited statements after a 1999 lawsuit challenged the policy in place at the time, which permitted only a written statement to be read after an inmate's death.
Kentucky and Washington both impose a 2-minute limit, while California protocols allow a 'brief final statement'.
Virginia allows statements but begins the execution a few seconds later regardless of whether the inmate has finished. Pennsylvania allows only written statements.
Kevin O'Neill, a law professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, said final statements dated back to the 14th century in England and that inmates' right to last words was well-established in the U.S. by the time the First Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1791.
Tim Young, a lawyer, said one inmate's lengthy statement should not be a reason to change policy.
He said: 'Yes, they committed horrible crimes, that's why they're there, but who are we to take away the one final moment to allow them to speak?
'In many cases what they do say is an apology, which is closure for the victims. Are we going to take that away?'
Beuke was executed on May 13 for his 3-week spree which terrorised the Cincinnati area in 1983.
The 48-year-old apologised for his crime, then recited the rosary and other prayers while choking back tears.
At 17 minutes, it was the longest final statement by a condemned Ohio inmate since executions resumed 11 years ago.
Source: The Daily Mail, November 19, 2010
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